The White House urged private companies on Monday to strengthen their cyber defenses using eight urgent steps amid warnings of the continuously evolving intelligence that suggests Russia is planning and exploring options for a potential cyberattack to target critical U.S. infrastructure.
During a briefing on Monday afternoon, Ann Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said that despite the warnings, there was no certainty that there would actually be cyber incidents on critical infrastructure. She added that she was involved because of a call to action to prepare for such a threat.
Russian Cyber Attacks
In recent weeks, United States President Joe Biden's administration has warned that Russia could conduct cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure or other regions. However, officials previously said that there were no immediate, specific, or credible threats against the U.S. at the time.
But on Monday, Neuberger said officials observed "preparatory activity" that prompted the Biden administration to brief companies and sectors that could be affected in a classified setting last week. The official said that the government shared the intelligence of the preparatory activity in a classified context, as per MSN.
Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the Biden administration has continuously worked to strengthen the country's cybersecurity defenses. President Biden's Executive Order aimed to modernize the federal government's defenses and improve the security provided by widely-used technology.
The Democrat has also opted to launch public-private action plans to shore up the cybersecurity of the electricity, pipeline, and water sectors. Biden directed various departments and agencies across the U.S. to make use of existing government authorities to mandate new cybersecurity and network defense measures.
According to the White House, on the international stage, the Biden administration has brought together more than 30 allies and partners that it would work with to detect and disrupt ransomware threats. The American government has also rallied G7 countries to hold accountable nations that harbor ransomware criminals. Officials urged them to take steps with partners and allies to publicly attribute malicious activity.
Furthermore, the government issued eight urgent steps that businesses and companies can use to increase their security. These are multi-factor authentication, deploying modern security tools, coordinating with cybersecurity professionals, backing up data offline, practicing emergency plans, encrypting data, educating employees, and coordinating with the FBI and CISA.
Threat of Technological Warfare
During the Business Roundtable Quarterly Meeting held in Washington, President Biden warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely planning cyber attacks as a form of retaliation against the U.S. for sanctions imposed on his territory. After Moscow invaded Ukraine, the consequences were imposed, and he refused to withdraw his troops.
In his remarks, the Democrat said that the magnitude of Russia's cyber capacity was consequential and was inevitable. Biden also noted that Putin had an array of cyber technology to use if he decided to attack the U.S. and its infrastructure.
Biden's statement also noted that his administration acknowledged that the federal government could not defend itself from Russian cyberattacks alone. His remarks said that many of the country's critical infrastructure is either owned or operated by the private sector. This meant that owners and operators are responsible for accelerating efforts to bolster their cyber defenses amid the threat of Russian cyberattacks, CNN reported.
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